


Speechless Sunshine

by Graychocobo



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mute!Prompto, OT4, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no beta we die like men, papa!Cor, royal family and cor adopt prompto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-06-12 12:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15340287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graychocobo/pseuds/Graychocobo
Summary: After being rescued as a child from a horrific Niflheim lab, Prompto is in need of some tender loving care.  Years of abuse have stunted his growth and rendered him mute. With the war going on Cor cannot look after Prompto as much as he would like.  Unfortunately this means staying in the Cidital hospital wing for treatment until appropriate living arrangements have been made. Cor doesn't know what to do until King Regis suggests that maybe the boy would make a good companion to his hospitalized son, Prince Noctis. Will the children be able to help each other heal from the pain they both have endured?





	1. The Mission

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic that I've posted online. First chapter is kinda of dark, but I promise that it will quickly become much fluffier in the next one. I'm intentionally not going to go into detail of Prompto's time in the lab anymore than this. So I guess you can leave what happened up to your imagination. Noctis still going to be in a wheel chair at this point due to the demon attack he cannonly survies. I won't go into it, but it is mentioned in this chapter. Also, I apologize for the lack of dialogue in this chapter.... I just wanted to rush though all the dark stuff so I could start writing fluff. 
> 
> On a side note - Given how expressive Prompto is in the games I thought it would be a fun idea for him be mute in an AU. The next chapter should be taking place in Insomnia and hopefully introducing Noctis to Prompto. The focus of the fic from here on out will be the healing process and the relationships they forge. Also want to note that in this AU that Tenebrae was never taken over and that Luna, Ravus, and their mother are all alive and well.

There was a certain charm about the small boy cradled in Cor’s arms. Now that the sun was beginning to rise he was able to see the boy's face better. Freckles and rosy cheeks stood out against the boy’s pale skin and blonde hair. He was so tiny that the boy looked as though he couldn’t have been more than six years old. The child had just fallen asleep only a few minutes ago, but a peaceful and content smile was present on his face. He clung to Cor and clutched onto the Marshall's shirt like a security blanket. This certainly wasn’t the way that Cor thought the end of his mission would have gone. Now that they were in the safety of Cape Caem’s safe house Cor allowed himself to process the events that had just taken place. It was only going to be a matter of time before Cid arrived to take them back to Hammerhead. There was going to be one hell of a shit storm when Cor finally is back in Insomnia. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

It was supposed to be a quick spy mission into one of Niflheim’s bases in order to gather intelligence on. The war was still in full swing but the fighting had been lulled since Lucis was successfully able to repel Niflheim’s attempt to take over Tenebrae. Niflheim’s forces had strategically placed their newest stronghold on the coastal outskirts of Ravatogh. The building had only been erected a little under a year ago, but in the past couple of months it had begun swarming with activity. At first it was thought to be a supply line between the Niflheim continent and Lucis. A tip had led Lucis to have reason to believe that this new facility near the borders was manufacturing new weapons, and that the local population around it was being forced into working in the facility. Word of soldiers taking tourists, wishing to see the volcano, by surprise and abducting them at gun point surfaced as well. If that wasn’t bad enough there also was rumor was that this base was somehow manufacturing soldiers and that a new wave of insurgents is going to be invading further into the continent of Lucis.

Although the crown politicians would still need more evidence that the facility was an immediate threat to the civilians in order to send in soldiers to liberate the innocent people from their enemy’s grasp. No bodies or evidence of a blood bath were present, so it was assumed that they at least were alive and being cared for by their enemy. They couldn’t afford to send in soldiers to take over the base until they had a clear understanding of the situation and a plan to evacuate the civilians safely. Assumptions of the base being a supply base had gone out the window, and now they had no idea what they were dealing with. With King Regis taking a step back from politics to take care of his injured son there was no one who could overrule the council's decision of ‘wait and see’. For now, they were more focused on damage control and warning civilians to avoid the Ravatogh area entirely. 

Ultimately it was the King’s own shield that gave the order to Cor to look into the situation. His reputation as the Immortal was well respected by all of Lucis. Marshal Cor Leonis was a war veteran who fought alongside the King and Sheild during their adventures earlier in their youth. Despite the fact that he was known to be a hot head early in his career, Cor mellowed out with age. He became more observant and objective and as a result slowly excelled in the world of espionage. There was no one more qualified for this sort of mission. 

After a few days of spying what they could from a distance it was apparent that the rumors were true. There were several big buildings and a hanger at the facility. One from the look of it was being used exclusively to house the civilian hostages, while the others seemed to be more traditional military facilities. Some of Cor’s unit had already begun to infiltrate the base, so slipping in was the easy part. They had arrived to their location sporadically which made it easier to blend in with the captive workers. With new civilians being brought in everyday by the soldiers no one noticed a thing. From this they were easily able to make discreet contact with the citizens without alerting the guards to their intentions. They found out that the men who were taken were being forced to work in labor shifts assembling various weapons and supplies like potions. Women and children were taken into a different building where they worked tirelessly on preparing food and polishing armor pieces. They worked six hour shifts and then the groups were switched out with the next one. While his subordinates worked on locating and gathering more information from the civilians in the base it was up to the Marshall to investigate the inner part of the main facility building to see what Niflheim was hiding. 

Under the cover of night fall Cor arrived at the location. The bright lights of the base made it so the workers could safely work into the night without the threat of demon attacks. Cor was able to take advantage of the strong shadows that the lights cast in order to slip in undetected. With the help of some of his subordinates playing look out he was able to enter an open vent on the side of the building. It was easy enough to fit inside the air vents and stealthily move. The sounds of his movements were easily covered up by the sounds the pipes expanding and contracting as machinery was still in use outside. It helped that the Volcano nearby would also rumble every so often and make the entire facility seem to rattle more. 

A lot of what the Marshal found out was expected. A new model of Magitek armor was in production along with word that testing was being considered for a new material to be used in the regular armor. New plans of attacks and where they were set to take place. Everything had been going to plan and it was about time to pull out and regroup with his men. As Cor was preparing to leave he happened to over hear a conversation from of the scientists leaving the lower level stair case. 

“Can you believe how fast production has picked up since the Chief Besithia and that thing he brought with him arrived? At first, I thought he might have gone crazy bringing a child to this facility but who knew that it was actually the key for the magitek production.” One of the scientists laughed. “Nice to see how smoother things have run since they brought it. It’s a shame that it will only be here for a few more days before the Chief returns to collect it.” 

“Well as far as I’m concerned if this prevents more causalities of our actual people then I am all for it. We finally have found a way to surpass Lucis’ military might without devastating our civilian citizens with another one of those dam drafts. We already lost too many in the previous war over Tenebrae.“ Another scientist responded with a shrug. “At least we never have to worry about being sent out to the front lines anymore or having to worry about being turned into our own test subjects now.” 

A younger looking scientist murmured. “Still though.....Don’t you feel a bit bad about the little guy? He just a little kid......I feel sick every time we have to do procedures on him.” 

The original scientist laughed. “It's a little late to be growing a conscience now.” He gave the younger scientist a slap on the back. “Just think of it as an oversized lab rat. Unless you’re offering to take its place as test subject I would cease bitching about it. If a higher up hears you talk like that you can be sure that you’re going to regret it.” 

The voices faded as they turned the corner and entered a room down the hall. The lights turned off one by one shortly after the men exited. They must have just finished up their work for that evening. Cor had heard all he needed to in order to scout out the basement levels. Although it was a risky move because he would have to exit the safety of the vents to do so. If he got caught out in the open it would completely jeopardize the safety of everyone outside. Slowly he made his way down the stairs. 

It was all going well until Cor reached the basement level of the building. Security was surprisingly lacking. There wasn’t any sign of alarms or surveillance equipment anywhere. It was possible that the Nifs were more concerned in containing their ‘workers’ that they felt safe enough that no one would be able to infiltrate this deep. The Marshal was easily able to pick the locks of the big doors at the end of the stairs, but nothing would prepare him for what he saw inside the laboratory. 

It was horrific. There were tubes with children inside of them. Some had what appeared to be like black blood oozing out of their eyes, nose, and mouth. Others had deformities that could only be explained as demonic transformation into imps and goblin like creatures. Several containers looked completely black and there was nothing noticeable inside anymore. A few of the tubes in the back seemed to be holding much younger ‘normal’ babies and toddlers. A large metal container was test subject growth accelerator next to a door that was artificial genetic duplication in the back corner of the room. 

What broke Cor out of his shock was a small whimper that came from inside the room. Cautiously he moved towards the sound. That is when he spotted a tuff of blonde hair from behind a desk. Upon further inspection he found it to belong to a small child who was curled up tightly in a ball. The child was crying. He was lightly dressed in what used to have been a hospital gown. There was a tiny dish of dirty looking water and a stale piece of bread on the floor beside the boy. There were various gashes and bruises scattered on the boy's arms and legs. There were marks that indicated someone had restrained the child to a table or gurney recently. Some haphazardly gauze was wrapped around the boy's leg and red blood was just beginning to seep through. That was only what was blatantly visible. The most disturbing thing was a rather large rusty chain around the boy’s neck connecting to a ring on the floor. As if he was some sort of animal that needed to be contained! 

It was right then and there that the battle hardened solider decided that he was not going to leave alone. His youthful hotheadedness was coming back to him. Mission protocol had just gone out the window. Cor was not about to leave a child to continue to fend for himself in this hell. If given the chance he would destroy the entire facility and all of the people who had hurt the child before him. No not people. Fucking monsters. Not realizing it Cor had sworn that last thought out loud. 

The child tearfully looked towards Cor with wide eyes and tears still staining his cheeks. It was a look of complete and utter terror. His mouth opened like he was speaking/screaming, but no sound came out. The boy desperately was trying to crawl backwards, but the desk prevented him from actually getting any farther away. It still didn't stop the child from trying anyway.

Carefully Cor knelt down before the child. He refrained from getting too much closer as to give the boy some space as he knew that he had an intimidating face.“Shhhh......Shhh......It’s going to be okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” He spoke in as calm of voice as he could muster. “It’s okay.” 

The child’s breathing slowly started looking like it was going back to normal as he calmed down a little. He gave a skeptical look at Cor, but it wasn’t like Cor expected him to implicitly trust him right off the bat. It was still unsettling that the boy hadn’t produced any sort of noise besides breathing. 

Not wanting to push his luck Cor decided to ask the child some simple yes or no questions that could be easily answered with body language. Judging by the tone of the conversation he had overheard Cor had serious doubts that anyone had treated the child like a human being in a long long time. “Can you understand what I’m saying?” It was the easiest question to get out of the way. 

The confusion on the boy’s face was obvious, but he slowly nodded his head up and down. It was a good sign for Cor. It looked as though he understood. As much as the Marshal wished to build up more trust with the boy, he needed to rush this. For both of their safety they needed to leave as soon as possible. 

“I can break you out of here.” Cor started as he looked the boy in the eye. “I can get you far, far away from the people who hurt you. No one would ever chain you up or hurt you like this again......Would you want to come with me?” 

The child looked at Cor as if he had two heads. The promise of no more pain and chains were alluring to say the least, but the boy hadn’t really known anything else in such a long time. It would be devastating if this man was just lying to him like all the others. The boy sat in silence as he weighed his options. Slowly but surely, he agreed to go with this stranger. 

That was all Cor needed to see. “Alright then. Let’s get you out of here.” With a smile he began to get to work on breaking the heavy rusting chains. The boy remained still as he watched Cor work with a hawk like vigilance. Within a few minutes he had broken one of the very rusty links in the chain and made quick work of removing the rest from the child’s neck. The look of relief on the boy’s face was instant. 

Soon he had scooped up the child in his arms holding him gently to his chest. The child was shivering and tense, but made no moves to struggle against Cor. The Marshal took a moment to take one last scan around the room. The only thing that drew his attention was a thick folder that had the boy’s picture paperclipped to the top. In giant red letters he saw the words ‘Project Quick-Silver – BD1025MT05953234' and then the words ‘Confidential’ under it. There was no time for him to inspect it further so he just grabbed it with his free hand and asked the boy to carry it for him. 

Everything after that was a blur. They had escaped though the very same vents that Cor had been using previously. He remembered one of his men’s puzzled looks as he exited the building holding a child, and quickly telling him to spread the word to maintain the surveillance of the facility but to withdraw and wait for further orders. The facility would be on full alert once they realized that the child was missing. They still had a few more hours of the night before the sun would rise. All of his team was ordered to be out of there before it. There was no difficulty making it back to their base at Cape Caem, and surprisingly a lack of demons in the area. But he couldn’t really recall any details of it besides doing his best to keep the child calm as they walked.

The safe house was hectic. People greeted the Marshal and quickly scurried off to finish their work. At some point Cor had used a potion on the child’s injuries and tried to get him to lay down and rest. Regrettably it didn't work as planned. The child desperately clung to him like a life line and refused to let go. The youth barely had enough time to build up trust in the Marshall let alone the various military people surrounding them. There was nothing more Cor could do besides scoop the boy back up in his arms. The Marshal wasn't going to fight it and just accepted that he was deemed 'safe' for now by the child. Cor made his report the King’s Sheild via radio transmission about the events of that night while holding the blonde child.

It was easy enough to talk about the information he collected at the beginning of his investigation. The tough part came when it was time to explain how he acquired his tiny companion. Cor barely had anytime to thoroughly look through the contents of the folder. He only had one free hand at the moment and it made flipping through the report will continuing his briefing rather difficult. However even just glancing through the information on the first few pages and summarizing it was disturbing enough. He could feel the child's hold on him tightening as he spoke about it. Thankfully it didn't take much for the Shield to order Cor to return to Insomnia with the child as fast as possible, and that the council needed to hear what their enemy had been doing. Next thing he knew he received a phone call from Cid saying that he was hightailing it from Hammerhead and that he was only an hour or two away from picking them up. 

Some of his unit were returning to the base already. Thankfully, Monica, who had been running the safe house had told him that she would handle things from here, and that he and the child should try and nap while they could. Now that his mission briefing was over he made his way outside to the steps on the front of the building. Cor finally allowed himself to relax as he sat on the front steps of the safe house watching the last few stars in the sky before the sunrise blocked them out. His attention was brought back to the child as he cuddled deeper into Cor’s chest as he slowly nodded off. How anyone would willingly hurt a child like this was beyond him. No one deserved to live through what this small boy had. 

On the ground next to Cor was the folder with the photo that he had stolen from the lab. The horrors and information that it contained inside were enough to make even the strongest stomach turn. He hadn't even read the entirety of the documents yet. Once the Marshal and the boy were on the road back, he planned to fully look over the folder’s contents and prepare for presenting his mission findings. For now Cor was just content watching over the child as he slept peacefully for probably the first time in his life. Cor promised himself then and there that no one would ever harm the boy again, and that he would kill anyone who tried.


	2. A Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regis finally meets the boy from the reports, and Prince Noctis looses his battle with curiosity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kind responses and kudos. It really means a lot to me. I hope you continue to enjoy this story as it starts to become more fluffy and centered around the children. The adults in the mean time will have to start focusing on the war and the mysteries that are contained inside the folder.  
> (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
> 
> Again I'm sorry if this seems a little rushed. I was writing this while watching Shark Week and was a little distracted by cute sharks.

It would be less than ten minutes before Cor and his tiny charge would be arriving at the Citadel. King Regis was already nervously waiting in a chair for their arrival in the medical ward. While he still technically on his ‘break’ from his responsibilities as King this was a situation that called for his full attention. Clarus Amicitia had already reported to the King Regis about Cor’s findings, and had arranged to be one of the people escorting Cor and the boy back to Insomnia from Hammerhead. Judging from what Cor had been able to disclose on the radio the child was in need of a medical attention, but stressed that they boy’s injuries were non-life threatening after Cor’s initial first aid evaluation at the base.

  
Regis himself had arranged for a private suite with his own trusted medical team to be on call for their arrival to examine the child, and Cor if he needed it as well. Since Prince Noctis was also staying in the Royal Medical Wing the security was extra tight. . This was the most secure location in the Citadel at the moment. It was part of the reason why Regis had sent his Sheild to pick them up. The child would be allowed to recuperate without distraction and could be spared the overwhelming experience of being brought before the Council. Luckily Noctis was currently out in the gardens with his attendant to get some fresh air and wouldn’t get curious about the commotion soon to come.

*Ping*

The sound of the elevator arriving broke through the heavy atmosphere of the ward. Regis grabbed a hold of his cane and used it for support as he stood up to greet his company. It wasn’t long before Cor carrying the boy, and Clarus were in sight. Clarus was carrying the folder that Cor stole from the facility. There were bandages and some cuts and scrapes on the child, but it did not look like he was in immediate need of medical attention. Regis let out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding in. It was a relief that it looked like they were going to be able to get the blonde boy settled to this new environment before the medical team would start their examination. The child was looking around anxiously until he saw Regis and then hid his face into Cor’s shoulder.

“I’m pleased to see that you both made it Insomnia in one piece.” Regis remarked.

“You’re highness. It's been a while.” Cor said with a nod. He couldn’t give a proper salute, but he figured that Regis wouldn’t mind given the circumstances. Cautiously the child peeked out for a second to look at Regis before returning to his previous position.

“No need for formalities for today.” Regis replied with a soft smile. “I’m still technically on family leave, so today I’m just Reggie my old friend. A room has been prepared for already and I am sure our young friend here must be tired from the journey. We can talk after you get settled in.”

Cor was grateful for the offer as he followed Regis into the room. It had been an exhausting trip to make it back to the capital. While he had the chance the Marshal had looked through what he could of the folder. Sadly, the deeper he got into the reports on the child the more blacked out text he had come across. Someone had already edited out several pages worth of information. Although it was hard to tell it looked some of the text bleed through the black out. There was a chance that with the right tools that they would be able to figure out what exactly was covered up. It would take a long time in order to try and crack the secrets hidden with in.

The child had been asleep for most of the ride but began to panic when he awoke in a moving vehicle. The stress of being in an unfamiliar place and vehicle was evident. It had taken a while for Cor to get the child to calm down and breathe slowly. Cor spent several minutes reassuring the child that everything was going to be alright while rubbing tiny circles on the boy's back. Cid had remained quiet and focused on the road in order to give the two of them some privacy. 

Once they reached Hammerhead it was another eventful experience to change the child’s loose dirty bandages and get him into some loose-fitting clothes Cid provided to them. A blue pair of very loose shorts and a yellow t-shirt with a Tonberry design design on the front. Soon after the child was dressed the Regalia pulled up in the parking lot and the King’s Sheild stepped out. The boy took meeting Clarus a bit better than expected, but he was still preferring to stay glued to Cor’s side. The drive to the Citadel was mostly quiet besides the occasional word from their driver.

The hospital room was as extravagant as one would expect of the royal family. The medical was tastefully ‘hidden’ in the wall. If it wasn’t for the computer monitor above the bed and a few other medical hook ups that were connected to the head of the bed it would be easy to mistake it for a high-class hotel room. The walls were lavishly decorated with pictures of Galdin Quay’s beaches. In the center of the room was a bed with a sea themed blanket a few stuff toys placed delicately on the pillow which the medical staff must have placed there for their young guest. The plushies included a chocobo, a coeurl, and a behemoth that each had a blue bow tied around their necks. Next to the bed on a small desk was an aquarium full of tiny colorful fish in a undersea ‘Atlantis’ theme. There were windows on the far side of the room that took up the entire wall which allowed for a view of the skyline over Insomnia. Towards the side of the room with the window there was a large sandy colored L shaped couch and a matching recliner in the corner. On the side of the bed closest to the aquarium was a blue velvet armchair. Thee was easily enough room to fit an entire family inside comfortably with room to spare.

“Looks like the staff really worked hard on setting up the room for the kid. I really owe you one for this.” Cor acknowledged with an impressed look on his face as he looked at the room.

Cor made his way into the room and placed the child gently down onto the bed before sitting next to him. The child seemed to be surprised at how soft the bed was, and started looking around the room with a bewildered look on his face. It was obvious that he had no idea of what was going on. Still the boy stayed as close as possible to Cor and held onto the closest arm towards him. Regis meanwhile sat down in the velvet armchair and Clarus stood next to him.

“Now now...None of that, Cor. It was the least I could do considering the situation.” Regis chuckled. “I had been informed of the basics of your report, and as a father myself, I was outraged to hear the conditions inside the base. We can talk more about that another time though....” He trailed off and chose his next words carefully as he turned his attention towards the child. They needed to know more information about the child, but Regis did not want to probe too deeply right off the bat. “For now, I just want to make sure our young friend here feels safe and comfortable here. Let's start off with getting to know him a bit better...I understand that you have grown quite attached to Cor since he took you from the facility. Does he make you feel safe?”

The boy did hesitate for a moment before he nodded ‘yes’ as he looked at Cor and gave him a tiny smile.

“That’s good to hear.” Regis smiled. They were getting off to a good start. “Before you met Cor, was there anyone that made you feel safe like he does?”

Almost immediately the child quickly shook his head ‘No’.

“That is unfortunate.” Regis sighed. “Is it correct to assume then that there was no place you felt safe in? No people who you could trust to not hurt you?”

The boy’s gaze turned down towards the door. With a pout on his face he indicated ‘no’ once more. The grip on Cor’s arm got visibly tighter.

“In that case, would you want to live here with Cor in Insomnia?” Regis inquired.

The youth did not need to nod in order to get his point across. His entire face lit up just even at the thought of staying with Cor. Even Cor couldn’t hide the little ‘smirk’ that appeared on his face before he covered it up with his default serious expression.

Regis knew that Cor already planned on asking to adopt the child. At first, Regis wondered how a child was able to squeeze his way into Cor’s heart, but when the child smiled it could melt even the coldest of hearts. “Then I shall start to make the arrangements for you to stay here with Cor. I just need to ask one more question, my boy. Do you have a name?”

The young boy took that as an ok shook his head indicating ‘yes’ to the question, but started pointing towards the folder that Clarus was still holding. He opened his mouth as if he was trying to say something, but no sounds made it out. It was also the first time he had let go of Cor in the presence of other people.  
What happened next made the adults in the room heart sink. While the adults knew that the child wasn’t able to speak they weren’t expecting him to answer more than a nod. What they got however for an answer was one that they didn’t account for. Clarus had handed the folder to the boy and with little to no hesitation the boy pointed to BD1025MT05953234 with his tiny finger landing on the MT part of the text.

At this point Clarus was reaching his limit. Normally when acting as a Sheild he remained a stoic companion standing beside the King. His big muscular stature worked as an excellent deterrent and intimidating force towards the King’s enemies. On the inside however he was a big teddy bear, and unfortunately had a bear’s temperament as well. Clarus was a fierce protector at heart of anyone who needed help. If something offended him it was hard for him to keep his cool.

“Those bastards!” Clarus shouted letting his outrage take the best of him. “That’s not a name! No living being should have to be called something like that! It’s dehumanizing.”  
Cor shot Clarus a deadly fierce glare when he started to hear the child’s sniffling. Cor knew Clarus well enough to understand that the shield also tended to be a bit of a hot head as well but it didn’t mean that it was ok. Although he only knew the child for a short time he had become quite attached and protective of him. No one was allowed to make the little guy cry. Before the Marshall could say anything, Regis cleared his throat and spoke up. “That's enough gentlemen. You’re scaring the poor boy.”

The child looked at the facial expressions of the men around him and began to panic a bit. Clarus had startled him when he started to yell. He didn’t understand why answering the question made the men so upset. His breath hitched as he bit his lip with tears starting to form in his eyes and running down his cheeks.

Cor quickly hugged the child in an attempt to calm him down. “We’re not mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did good buddy.” In the corner of his eye Cor spotted the plushies that had been left on the bed and reached for one of them. It didn’t matter which one he got, but he figured that it might be comforting for the boy to hold one for the time being. Without even looking at which one he grabbed he placed it in the child’s lap. “Why don’t you hold on to this? It might help make you feel a bit better...” Cor trailed off.  
The child held onto the Chocobo doll tightly. His face was now half hidden behind the toy’s rather large head. Tears had slightly stained his cheeks but no more were falling. He still was a bit upset, but had calmed down considerably.

With the damage control done Cor took the opportunity to speak up. “You did good answering the question, but names typically aren’t a series of numbers and letters like that. It would just take too long to say. Usually people have something much simpler to refer to themselves by......”

The youngster didn’t react with anything more than a tiny pout.

“Would it be alright if we gave you a name to call you by?” Cor asked point blank. In his mind there was no more reason to beat around the bush. The direct approach was more of the Marshal’s style anyways.

The youth thought it over for a bit as he took time to really understand what Cor had meant by typical names. It was a lot to take in since he wasn’t used to actually hearing people refer to themselves or him normally. It wasn’t long before he gave his approval to the idea.

Clarus had been quite since his outburst and had stared down at the folder. While Cor was talking an idea had popped into his head. Not wanting to startle the boy he whispered his idea to Regis. The King nodded his agreement of it, and spoke once again. “Clarus has come up with an interesting suggestion for a name for the child. Following the tradition of the nobility naming their children in the Old Solheim language he suggested the name Prompto Argentum Leonis.”

“Prompto, huh?” Cor looked at the boy. It was easy to tell that Clarus used the 'Quick Silver' from the folder as a base for the name. 'Prompto' certainly was a unique name. The name reminded of Pomeranians and when he thought of the boy it just seemed to click. The pout the child had looked a lot like a sad puppy, and now he couldn’t get the mental image of it out of his head. Not that any of this showed on his face. “So, what do you think about it? Would you like to be called Prompto from now on??”

The blonde readily agreed to the name. As long as Cor was okay with it he didn’t have a problem. From now on he was going to be known as Prompto. It would take some getting used to but it wasn’t a problem.

“Well now that that has been decided, I feel like it is time to take my leave. Rest up and relax a bit. I’ll fill the staff in for you while I am on the way out. I’d expect that they will pop in and introduce themselves within the hour or so...” Regis used his cane for support as he got out of the chair. “Clarus, there is some paper work that I need to put together for young Prompto here would you mind helping me gather the adoption and citizenship forms together?” With that the King and the Sheild left the room.

\------------------------------------The Next Morning--------------------------------

Prince Noctis had been woken up early for once in his life. His father had mentioned to him that a special guest was going to be admitted to the hospital wing yesterday. Ignis had escorted him outside for most of the day yesterday and into the garden using his wheelchair. It had been a nice day so it was a welcomed distraction from being cooped up all day in the same room He had tv and video games, but it got boring after a few days of it. When the two youths finally arrived back at his room for dinner time the hallway was livelier than expected. Several doctors and nurses were in the process of exiting the room and Noctis could have sworn that he heard Uncle Cor’s voice thanking them. The nosy prince wanted to go and investigate the activity, but was wheeled back into his room by Ignis who said that it would be rude to linger any longer. Before he knew it, he was being helped back into his bed after being changed into his night clothes. A nurse had brought up their dinners and the prince’s medicine and the two boys we’re settled in for the night.

Curiosity of who might be down the hall was gnawing at him the entire night. How Ignis wasn’t interested in the subject was dumbfounding to him. While Ignis was very much a big brother figure, whom the prince cared dearly for, to Noctis he sometimes thought that he was much too serious to only be two years older than him. Ignis acted more like an adult than a kid. The only sense of adventure Ignis seemed to have was learning how to cook, and trying to have Noctis taste test his creations. Half of the time those creations also included Noctis’ sworn enemy, vegetables.

When he looked at the clock in the room he saw that it was 7:30. Easily two hours earlier than he normally woke up. Noctis looked towards the neatly folded bedding on the couch where Ignis had slept. He must have gotten up already and was starting on his tasks for the morning. Thankfully, his wheel chair was right next to the bed and Prince Noctis had gained enough strength to maneuvered himself into the chair recently. The mischievous little prince had decided to use this opportunity to explore the medical wing to see if he could learn more about who was staying down the hall. Ignis wasn’t here to stop him. If anyone asked he would just tell them that he was practicing getting around by himself for a change.

Once he was out of the room the Prince slowly wheeled his way down the hallway. There was a lot less people out and about than previously yesterday evening. He greeted the Nurse that was on duty and reassured her that he wasn’t going to push himself too hard. Once he got past the nurses' station he spotted a familiar man at the end of the hallway going around the corner towards where the vending machines were.

Soon the Prince had made it around the corner as well. Noctis was about to call out to Cor but his eyes got drawn towards the blonde boy accompanying his ‘Uncle’. This must be the mystery patient staying in the other room. There were bandages on his arms and legs and a small rolling IV stand next to him. The blonde was clutching a toy chocobo while smiling brightly at Cor who was purchasing a can of ebony coffee. The other boy looked adorably angelic to the young Prince. One word escaped Noctis’ lips as he stared in awe at the boy before him.

“....Pretty....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I want to thank you for reading this. If you enjoyed it please feel free to leave a comment or kudo <3  
> You can also find me at my tumblr - www.graychocobo.tumblr.com 
> 
> On a side note. I really wish I could read a fanfic where someone else like Cid was the one who rescued baby prompto. Cor is still my favorite contender for the rescue oporation, but I think it would be amusing to have someone less expected to have the roll as well. Maybe I'll write one like that one day, but I would have to finish this story first.
> 
> I made a doodle of Prompto's outfit. Check it out if you want. https://graychocobo.tumblr.com/post/176374657401/this-is-a-little-doodle-i-did-for-how-i-imagine


	3. A Friendly Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out a little later than I had hoped, because I got a bit busy on my birthday. ^^; 
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> Below is link to a picture I drew of the chocobros all wearing the Dangerously Cute shirts. Feel free to check out the cutie squad if you want. 。（＞ω＜。）  
> https://graychocobo.tumblr.com/post/176807578366/dangerously-cute-shirts-for-everyone-that-is-the

It had been a long night for Cor. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did nothing to help the headache he had woken up with. The beeping of monitors in the hospital got annoying real fast. Fortunately, Prompto's examination late that evening had been very informative and had gone better than expected. 

Prompto had let the doctors examine him with little to no fuss. As long as he had Cor holding his hand he was comfortable letting the staff do what they needed. The remaining small cuts and bruises were treated with antiseptic and were easy to handle. Prompto’s leg however required some stiches. Although the frist aid and potions Cor initially provided was acceptable, the cut still wasn’t healed. It must have been a very deep gash before. It still was rather deep and just wide enough that the doctors wanted to make sure to close the cut before an infection could happen. 

In the routine physical they found out more vital information. Prompto was considerably underweight for his age and because of that he was smaller than he should be. The staff eventually was able to estimate his age to be actually around 8 years old. Slightly older than Cor had guessed, and the same age as the Prince. They also learned that the cause of the child's muteness was due to damage to minor damage of the vocal chords. The doctors warned that Prompto also had a condition called selective mutism as a result of abuse. A child mental health therapist was highly recommended in order to help access and heal the damage done. 

For now, they were content giving the malnourished child extra fluid, vitamins, and vaccinations via an IV. Now it was just the waiting game before the staff would get the results of the blood/dna tests being ran. Hopefully they would learn more about the child this way, and would be able to cross reference some of the information with the documents from Prompto’s folder. Eventually Prompto fell asleep holding his toys, and Cor tucked him in the bed for the night. The marshal opted to sleep on the couch for the night.

Sadly, Cor learned the hard way that the child seemed to be a morning bird. Cor awoke to the child gently poking at his face with one of his toys. He must have snuck out of his bed and wheeled the IV drip over with him. Cor reached out and gently ruffled Prompto's untamed golden mop much to the child's delight. There was no way that he was just going to be able to roll over and go back to sleep now that Prompto was wide awake. 

Once Prompto knew that Cor was awake he crawled onto the couch, chocobo in hand. He was content just to sit next to Cor while he continued to play with his chocobo in silence. Prompto was having fun making the toy hop from place to place on Cor. It was too early in the morning to deal with this without some caffeine in his system. 

"Hey I think I'm going to go and grab a coffee. Want to come with me?" Cor inquired as he sat up. There was a vending machine that carried Ebony coffee down the hallway. It wasn't his favorite kind of coffee but it was the only canned variety available regularly in Insomnia. Cor always found that it had a metalic after taste from the can, and that the coffee could turn a bit syrupy near the end of the drink. Some people swore by it, but Cor preferred a freshly brewed cup of coffee over Ebony any day.

Prompto smiled and nodded as he grabbed Cor into a hug. The child's expressions have been grown by leaps and bounds now that he was feeling safe. Even though, it still had been only a day or two since they first met, Prompto had already made so much progress. It was a bit surprising how quickly he started to open up to Cor. It was hard to imagine that this child was the same one who looked so terrified in that dark basement. This must be the true personality finally peeking through. Prompto is very sweet and loving child at heart. 

"When we get back to the room, I'll contact the staff to see if we can get us some breakfast." Cor said as he ruffled the child's hair one more time.  
The duo left the room and made their way down the hallway towards where the vending machines were. Prompto happily followed Cor with one hand holding onto the chocobo plush while the other hand was maneuvering the IV stand. Once they turned the corner the vending machines where in sight. With some of the change in his pocket Cor began to purchase a can of Ebony Coffee dark roast. 

"…. Pretty...." 

The sudden voice startled Prompto and he moved closer to Cor gently grabbing onto his clothes. Prompto looked confused as he was trying to gage the new boy. The sudden arrival of the black-haired child in the wheel chair was unexpected. Cor was a bit taken back by the familiar voice. He knew it very well, as it was Prince Noctis. The young Prince was almost never awake this early, but he suspected what he was up to. 

"Your Highness." Cor greeted the young Prince. "I'm glad to see you up and about."

It took Noctis a moment to realize that Cor had said something to him. He had been lost in thought looking at the new boy. 

"N-Nice to see you again, Uncle Cor." Noctis stammered as he tried to regain his composure. He could already tell that his cheeks probably had already turned a bright shade of pink, but that didn't mean that he wanted to let his embarrassment show. So, he was going to cover it up by asking as many questions he could think of. "When did you get back? Did you kick the bad guy's butt into next week? Who's the kid with you? Is he my age? Can I play with him? And – And – uh..? " 

Cor snickered under his breath. "Easy now, Noctis. Let's not get too excited." Cor paused for a second to take a sip of his coffee. It tasted gross but it was still tolerable. "And to answer your questions I arrived back yesterday afternoon. The mission I was on was not a combat one, so I don't have any new tales of the battle field." Cor looked down at Prompto who was still trying to decide what to make of Noctis. 

"As for my new little friend here, I get the feeling that you are going to see him a lot more. I came across him during my mission." Cor gently put his hand on Prompto's shoulder. "This is Prompto, my soon to be adopted son. He'll be staying here in the Citadel Hospital wing for a while. Right now, he isn't able to speak at all, but I hope that if he ever has an issue that he will be able to count on you." 

Cor then turned his attention to Prompto in order properly introduce Noctis to him. "Prompto, this boy is the son of the nice man with the cane you met yesterday. His name is Noctis, and he lives in the Citadel.” 

“Nice to meet you, Prompto.” Noctis smiled as he held out a hand. “I hope we can become friends.” 

Prompto bit his lip a little, and hugged his chocobo doll as he looked at Noctis he wasn’t sure what to do. Something like this has never happened before. After a bit of hesitation Prompto slowly extended his hand awkwardly. 

Noctis didn’t seem to mind and made up for it by completing the handshake himself. He was just happy that there was another kid around his age in the Citadel. This was the first time that he might be able to make a friend on his own, rather than having a familial like bond to begin with. “I’m staying just down the hall from you. We can play together when you feel up to it. I’m sure that Iggy and Gladdy wouldn’t mind playing with you. --” 

Noctis was cut short by Cor’s phone beeping. It was a short tone, so it must have been a text message. “Sorry kids, but we’re going to have to cut this a little short. Prompto’s doctors are on their way up here, and want to run a few more tests before breakfast.” Cor explained with a scowl. The Marshal was not pleased with the news. 

Noctis pouted but there was nothing that he really could do. He really wanted to get to know Prompto better, but he knew that he also was still a patient at the hospital too. He watched as Cor and Prompto walked away and returned to their room. Not having anything other to do the young prince returned to his room. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The glasses wearing youth had finished his early morning lessons for etiquette and politics 101. Ignis was being trained to take on support tasks as the Prince’s right-hand man and advisor. Due to Noctis’ predicament he moved his lessons to when Noctis would be least active. That way he could devote the rest of his time watching over the young Prince. It was around 9 am when Ignis knocked on the door to Noctis’ room. Considering the prince’s sleeping habits, it was only a fifty percent chance that he was awake. He had a tray of food in his free hand. A bowl of oatmeal and fruit in the shape of a smile with a glass of chocolate milk for the Prince, and a hardy vegetable omelet with a side of avocado toast with a cup of Assam tea for himself. 

“Time to wake up and start the day, Noctis.” Ignis said as he opened the door. To his surprise the Prince was already awake and playing on a hand-held gaming device. He already was in his wheel chair and at the small table next to the bed. “Well it looks like I won’t need to fight to wake you up this morning. What a pleasant surprise.”  
“Hey, Ignis.” Noctis replied. He barely looked up from his game towards Ignis. He currently was failing in the boss battle he currently was in. The Prince wasn’t really trying that hard to win though. His thoughts were currently consumed with the boy he met that morning. 

Ignis placed the tray down on the table and placed Noctis’ food in front of the prince. “It’s rare to see you up this early. Were you in pain again this morning?” He knew that Noctis still occasionally had pain flare ups from his injury and that usually started a fever later that day. 

Noctis put his game down and started poking at his breakfast with his spoon. “Nah. Nothing like that.” He paused to take a spoonful of the oatmeal. “Just couldn’t sleep well night.”  
“How unfortunate.” Ignis replied with a sigh. The Prince has been prone to nightmares since he was attacked by a demon. “If you want I’ll see if the nurse can provide you with an appropriate sleep aid.” 

Noctis perked up a bit at that and immediately rejected the notion. Ignis had a bad habit of being a bit overbearing. While the Prince knew it was just how Ignis showed he cared it didn’t mean he always enjoyed it. “Don’t worry about it so much, Ignis. It was just one night, so it really isn’t that big of a deal. If it happens for a few days in a row maybe then.”  
“Just remember that getting a good night sleep is key to your recovery, Noct.” Ignis replied.“Just promise me that you will speak up if you aren’t feeling well.”  
Noctis was quick to change the subject soon after that. The two talked about normal things while they ate breakfast. Ignis was growing suspicious that Noctis was keeping something from him, but was doing his best to not force the issue. He knew that Noctis would mention what was on his mind when he was ready. Somehow their conversation eventually got onto the topic of Cor. 

“I happened to hear that the Marshal has returned to Insomnia early with an urgent update on the situation out west.” Ignis stated. “I guess the Citadel is now in an uproar and are scrambling to send reinforcements to Ravatogh. Gladio’s father was talking to him about it outside the training hall this morning.” 

Noctis did a double take at the mention of Cor. He hadn’t expected that Ignis would have found out that quickly. “I-I happened to talk with Uncle Cor this morning.” Noctis replied.  
“Oh?” Ignis raised an eyebrow. “When did this happen?” 

“Earlier this morning while you were at class.” Noctis replied. “I was practicing getting around on my own with the wheelchair and ran into him near the vending machine with a kid named Prompto. Cor said that he rescued Prompto during his mission. We talked for a few minutes and learned that they were the ones down the hallway. Well Cor and I talked.....Prompto can’t.” 

Ignis was a bit taken back by the news. “Can’t talk? How unusal..” Ignis muttered. “I hope you behaved yourself around them, Noct. While I’m happy to hear that you felt well enough to go out on your own for a bit you really should be more careful!” 

Noctis rolled his eyes at Ignis. Whatever his future advisor was thinking about he probably was going to overdo it. The same things happened when he was trying to figure out ways to sneak vegetables in Noctis’ meals. “Anyways....Cor gave his okay to us being friends with Prompto! I was hoping that at some point soon I can introduce him to you and Gladdy. He looks a bit like Luna, but his hair is a darker shade of gold than hers. His hair is almost the same color as his chocobo doll.” 

Noctis saw the clock 9:30 out of the corner of his eye. This was the time that Ignis usually had him start studying now that he was in stable condition. Being the prince of the country was a big responsibility. Regretfully that also meant that Noctis had a lot more stuff to learn than the average child his age. Ignis was more than happy to make sure that he was kept on top of the Prince's studies. 

“Well I’m sure that we will all meet him soon enough.” Ignis stated. He didn’t seem as excited about the prospect of a new companion hanging around, but as long as Noctis was happy that was good enough for him. He reached over to a text book that was next to him on the table. “But before we worry about that I brought the next assignment that your tutor wanted you to work on. He noticed that you were falling slightly behind in Math, and provided a few work sheets to work on. By the time we’re done with that Gladiolus should be coming up to see you. Then you can tell us both more about, Prompto.” 

“Iggy!” Noctis pouted. He hated math. It was the vegetables of school subjects. There was no way that he was going to convince Ignis to skip doing his assignment. Once Ignis scheduled it in his brain there was no getting out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> If you enjoyed it please leave a kudo or a comment! If you ever want to talk to me feel free to send me a message on my tumblr : www.graychocobo.tumblr.com/


	4. Changes are coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a bit longer than I thought it would. I ended up rewriting this like three or four times before I was happy with it. I had hoped to have all of the Chocobros meet this chapter, but that will be the opening of the next chapter instead.   
> (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖

Back at the Imperial base at Ravatogh a commotion was brewing. The airship carrying Research Chief Besithia and Chancellor Izunia was due to arrive within days.  What should have been a simple visit and inspection of the base was going to be a disaster. The test subject that had been entrusted to them had gone missing. There had been no sign of the subject for an undisclosed amount of time. Something would have to be done before Chief Besithia and Chancellor Izunia arrival. 

  Some of the rookie scientists had tried to cover up the incident by using one of the clones as a substitute for the Test Subject. The head scientist hadn’t noticed anything was amiss until he grabbed it to prepare for testing and remained unresponsive. Normally the child lashed out and fought to get away from them and usually had to be strapped down on their table in order to carry out their tests and collect tissue samples. Upon further inspection it was easy to see that the small black patches of starcourge was present in the decoy, a feature that was only present in the clones for the Magitek project.  Commander Ulldor was contacted immediately about the dire situation they now found themselves in.  

 In the rush to construct the base, Commander Ulldor, who was in charge of overseeing the project had sacrificed internal building security in order to fund the magitek armor manufacturing project. Military conquest was the quickest way to earn the respect of Emperor Aldercapt and earn his favor. The sooner he completed his fleet of magitek the sooner he would be able to launch a full-scale invasion on Lucis. With the giant armors patrolling the parameter he thought that no one would be able to slip past them. His lust for power had clouded his better judgement. Although the base had great productivity levels it was not going to be enough to save them from their punishment. Mistakes were not tolerated in the Empire. The only thing that would save them would be recovering the child before they arrived. That or finding someone else to take responsibility so he could get away with a lesser punishment. He already had a few people in mind.

No one knew when exactly the test subject had gone missing. The only information they knew of was that he had disappeared sometime during the night. The scientists had returned in the morning only to find that the chain that secured the boy in the lab had broken.  The broken chain link was the most rusted of the bunch, but it still should have been strong enough to keep the child contained.  This could only mean that there was a traitor in the group, or that Lucis had already been infiltrated the base. 

“Call all members of the science team up to my office.” Caligo ordered the troops in the room. “After that I want the entire facility to be placed under lockdown. Keep the civilians locked away in the rest area and begin interrogating them. They might have information of who might have stolen the test subject, or be concealing it within their ranks. Encourage them to talk by any means necessary. Threaten the lives of the women and children if that is what it takes. We don’t have a lot of time! The dogs of Lucis would not be able to break in this facility without the help of a man on the inside. Find those who are making a mockery of the Empire and prepare for their public execution!”

“Sir! Yes! Sir!” The armed soliders saluted before they left the room to carry out their orders. 

Caligo now just needed to wait for results. The fate of his military career and life hung in the balance. If he played his cards right the Chancellor might be sated with the executions of the traitors. He still was going to have to face his own punishment but he might be let off with a minor demotion rather than being stripped of all ranks and dishonorably discharged from service. In a worst-case scenario Commander Ulldor would be sentenced to death via beheading or given to Versteal as a new test subject to do with as he pleased until he died. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was several days before Prompto would see the young Prince again. All of the stress that he had endured was starting to catch up with him.  With everything that had happened it wasn’t surprising. Going from the horrible treatment Prompto had to endure to a life in the Citadel was a huge change. Now that he wasn’t passing out from exhaustion and over stimulation dreams were now returning at night. Between the tests, new environment, and now frequent nightmares, Prompto had developed a small fever. 

It was hard for Cor to watch. Besides being there to support Prompto as an emotional pillar there was little else he could do. This wasn’t a situation where the Marshal could cut down the offending monsters. These monsters were the ones that lived in the child’s memories and terrorized his dreams at night. Even then, since Prompto couldn’t talk, it made it harder to try and understand what happened in his dreams that made him so upset.  Yes and No questions were not going to cut it. 

With the staff’s help it was decided that it would be best for Prompto to have a notebook and some colored pencils in order to help him communicate. Art was not only therapeutic but it also served a practical purpose in this situation. Furthermore, the staff help offered the Prompto to learn how to read and write. Now the child would have more ways to communicate with them.  It was also a safe way for Prompto to get used to the presence of people besides Cor. In the near future Cor would have to resume his job as Marshal, and Prompto would need to be able to handle being comfortable in their care when Cor couldn’t be there. 

The first day Prompto was gifted the supplies he barely touched the book. He spent most of his day asleep until the nightmares woke him up once more. Almost as soon as he calmed down the child fell asleep once again. His fever was still rather high, but the rest would help Prompto recover faster. Cor spent most of the time at Prompto’s bedside in order to make sure that Prompto never woke up to an empty room.  

After his fever had broken Prompto took to coloring with little to no issue.  The staff started working with him on the basics of writing and making a game out of drawing pictures of objects in the room. He also was picking up how to at least write his name fairly easily as well.

 Today’s Nurse Delilah was a member of the Glaives. Delilah served as a medic when she was out in the field, and was skilled with spells like cure and esuna. When she was not assigned to a mission Delilah worked as a nurse in the Citadel. Cor had worked with her before on the battle field and knew that she was good at her job. 

As part of Prompto’s treatment Delilah had made a game for the two of them to play.  She would ask him random questions like ‘What is the more interesting thing in the room?’ to ‘What is your favorite thing?’.  She would draw out their own answers on own note pad. When Delilah and Prompto ready they would show each other the drawings they made. Once they both saw the answers she would ask Prompto to point out where the object was in the room. 

 As Prompto got more engrossed in his activities it allowed Cor to step outside and call to update Clarus with their progress. This was the first time that Cor had slipped away from Prompto since he had arrived in the Citadel. The Marshal was a little worried that Prompto would throw a fit when he exited the room, but so far everything seemed fine. 

Cor walked down the hallway towards where the vending machines were before dialing Clarus’ number. Some of the test results they were waiting on were ready finally. Prompto’s head doctor had requested Clarus and Regis be present with Cor when they went over the results.

_*Ring- Ring-Ring*_

_“Cor, I’ve been waiting for your call.”_ Clarus answered. “ _How’s_ _Prompto’s_ _condition? Last I heard the boy developed a fever...”_

_“His fever finally broke this morning. Poor kid has been having nightmares almost every night though.”_ Cor sighed. _“Doctor_ _Galuf_ _pulled me aside this morning_ _during his daily_ _checkup_ _...._ _Prompto’s_ _test results are finally in. He wants you and Regis to be there when he goes over them with me. He hopes to let us know the results sooner rather than later. If possible, he plans on reserving the conference room on the first floor of the Medical Unit for the meeting this afternoon.”_

This was the most subdued Clarus had ever heard Cor. Hard to believe that there would be a day when the rebellious welp that earned the name Immortal would become such a doting father in such a short amount of time. He still remembers the hot headed fifteen-year-old Cor who accompanied him and Regis in their travels across Lucis. A boy who had proclaimed that he never wanted to start a family and was only interested in life as a warrior. Boy how the times had changed. 

Clarus remained silent for a few moments. _“Got it...I’ll get in touch with His_ _Majesty. He has been very_ _eager_ _to learn more about the child’s conditions and getting a medical opinion as to what the_ _Nifs_ _had done to him._ _”_

_“Thanks...Before I let you go I have one favor to ask. Would you be opposed if I_ _had_ _your son, Ignis, and Noctis keep an eye on_ _Prompto_ _while we’re at the meeting?_ _”_ Cor inquired.

_“Not at all my friend. Anything to help out my honorary nephew.”_ Clarus said as he held back a laugh. _“After I talk with Regis I’ll tell Gladiolus to head over with the boys. I hear that Prince Noctis has been quite e_ _a_ _ger to meet with_ _Prompto_ _again. From what my son has told me it has been all the Prince has been t_ _alking_ _about recently.”_

_“Right. Well....See you later then.”_ Cor ended the call with that and then made his way back to Prompto’s room. 

 When Cor re-entered the room the nurse and Prompto were still drawing together. The nurse looked at Cor with a smile. “We’re just finishing up this last round. It’s almost lunch time. I’ll be heading down to the kitchen to pick up Prompto’s meal. Would you want anything, Marshal?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Cor said as they waved them off. “Thanks for the offer though.”  He would get something on the way to the meeting later. For now, he was content just watching Prompto enjoy himself. 

Soon the game had finished and Delilah politely excused herself from the room.  Prompto excitedly held up the drawings he had made, and was very eager to show them off to Cor. From what Cor could tell there was a fish tank.... A chocobo......a behemoth......his breakfast...and what he could only guess was Prompto’s attempt of drawing the Marshal himself.

“You’re quite the artist.” Cor smiled as he sat down besides Prompto on the bed. “Looks like you have a lot of talent for this.” 

Prompto was positively giddy at the response and then hugged Cor. Before Cor had realized it, he had already been hugging back.  His son’s smile was quickly becoming the most precious thing in Cor’s life. He would take on the gods themselves if that was what it took to protect it. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gladiolus had been playing a new game on his phone with Noctis while Ignis preferred to read a book instead. It was a new rpg app that was all the rage called ‘Guardian Legend’. It was another one of the typical fantasy stories that had knights saving the world and their princess from evil in the final battle. What had made it special though was that this game was one of the first games available with a co-op mode. Friends were able to form teams of up to four players and undertake various quests and battle fierce bosses. 

For Gladio the game was a great way to kill time in between classes and keep his younger friend entertained.  For Noctis this was his favorite kind of game. He might be royalty, but he would much rather be a hero who saves the world. The two boys had used gaming as a way to bond with each other. On rare occasions Ignis would join them, but today was not one of those days. 

“Ready for the next quest, Gladio?” Noctis asked impatiently. A special weapon was the reward for players who beat this particular stage.  

“Almost....” Gladio started to say and then his phone began to buzz. “Shit....It’s my old man. I’m going to have to take this.” 

“Language, Gladiolus!” Ignis scowled as he looked up from his book at Gladio. 

Gladio waved Ignis off. Noctis groaned as he pouted. The Prince was not exactly the most patient child. Especially when his fun was being interrupted. Gladio walked towards the window of the Prince’s room for some privacy to answer the phone. 

From where Ignis and Noctis sat it was impossible for them to hear what Gladio’s father wanted to talk about.  Ignis was more curious to know what Clarus wanted to talk to Gladio about. Noctis was much more concerned with his game to care. The could only here Gladio’s responses. 

“Yeah.....Naw. Nothing really........You sure about that?.........Alright. Got it.......See you later dad.” 

Once the conversation was done Gladiolus hung up his phone and made his way back towards the younger boys. 

“Sorry, Noct. Looks like we are going to have to postpone doing that quest for now.” Gladio stated. 

“WHAT? Aww...Why?” Noctis cheeks puffed up as his frown grew. his pout 

“Do you need to run some errands for your father then, Gladio?” Ignis inquired while raising an eyebrow.

“Something like that, Iggy, but I’m sure Princess here will be overjoyed with it.” Gladio said smugly. “Dad was saying that he wanted all of us to spend some time with that boy staying down the hall from here for a couple hours. Prompto? Or something like that.”

If the young Prince’s eyes could pop out of his head they would have. 

“We get to see PROMPTO!?” Noctis exclaimed with excitement. “I can’t wait.”

Ignis not meaning to be the wet blanket of the group spoke up.  “I thought Cor said Prompto wouldn’t be able to handle company until his fever broke. If he has only just recovered it might not be the best idea to stay there too long. I would hate to see if our presence negatively impacted his health...”

Noctis quickly gave Ignis a glare before turning his attention back to Gladio. 

“So when can we head over? Can we leave right now, Gladio?” Noctis demanded. The Prince could not wait to see the angel faced boy again! He finally was going to be able to spend time with someone his own age! Someone whose parents weren’t trying to use their kids as pawns in the hopes for political advantage. 

“We can head out as soon as a certain someone changes out of his pjs and into some real clothes.” Gladio laughed.

As the Prince hurried to try and change into the clothes Ignis had already laid out Gladio made his way next to Ignis.

 “Don’t worry too much Iggy. Dad said that Cor told him that the fever was gone. “ Gladio whispered in Ignis’ ear. “Pops said that Cor was the one to requested us to spend time with Prompto in the first place. I guess now we can see for ourselves why ‘Princess’ here came down with a severe case of puppy love.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Next chapter should be starting with some fluff while the adults in the background address the plot. As always if you like the story so far don't be afraid to leave a comment or kudo! <3 
> 
> I can always be reached via my tumblr - www.graychocobo.tumblr.com


	5. Bonding Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy I got this out in time for Prompto's birthday. While I was writing this I kept on getting new ideas on how I wanted the chapter to go. Prompto's first time outside? The boys telling him all of the cool things about Cor? Things like that. Eventually I decided to go with bonding over tv instead.

“Come on Iggy! Can’t we go a little faster?” Noctis turned towards Ignis with pleading eyes. The prince had been antsy ever since Gladio had received the call to go spend time with Prompto. 

“There is no need to rush, Noctis. We’ll be there before you know it.” Ignis replied as he kept up his steady pace of pushing the prince’s wheelchair. 

Gladio who had walked ahead chuckled. “Noct, it isn’t like the ‘angel’ is half way across town or something. We’ll be there in like 5 seconds. He’s just a bit further down the hall.” 

In response the Prince pouted. Obviously, each second that passed felt like an eternity to Noctis. Apparently, his retainers did not feel the same way. If he was able to walk on his own, he would have run down the hallway as soon as Gladio got off the phone. Unfortunately, he was still not able to take more than 10 steps by himself yet. 

Once they reached the door to Prompto’s room Gladio knocked on the door. “Marshal. It’s us. Is it alright if we come in?” Gladio called out. His other hand was ruffling Noctis’ messy hair in the hopes that it would deter the younger boy from jumping out of his chair much to their dismay. 

“Come in.” Cor responded from inside the room.

The scene that the boys walked in on was certainly not what they had been expecting. Prompto was half hiding under his blankets and dolls. A hand was desperately clinging onto Cor’s coat while crying. Cor was doing his best to calm the boy beside him on the bed down, but it looked as though it was a losing battle. It did not look like Prompto was okay with Cor leaving him ‘alone’ for the meeting. 

Gladio and Ignis were not sure what to make of the situation before them. While they did feel for the blonde boy before them, they had no idea on what to do. Noctis on the other hand wheeled his chair a bit closer to the center of the room. The young prince was the first one of the boys to speak up. “Is everything okay with, Prompto? Did he get sick again, Uncle Cor?” 

“Prompto is going to be just fine.” Cor replied as he rubbed the child’s back. “He got upset when he heard that I needed to step out for a bit. “

Noctis sighed in relief. He was happy to hear that Prompto wasn’t upset because he was sick and in pain. “Don’t worry, Prompto! Uncle Cor will be back before you know it!” He smiled as he made his way further into the room. “Until he comes back my friends and I will be keeping you company. Isn’t that great!?” 

It took Prompto a few seconds to recognize the black-haired boy. He had been so caught up in focusing on Cor that he hadn’t cast a glance towards the guests in the room. In the door way where the two larger boys that came in with Noctis. Those must be the friends that Noctis had referred too. His eyes darted back and forth between Noctis, Cor, and the two strangers. He wasn’t exactly sure what to make of the situation yet given the puzzled look on his face. 

Prompto’s grip on Cor’s coat lessened as Noctis continued talking and smiling at him. “It will be fun. I promise! Gladio and Ignis might seem a little intimidating at first because they are older than us, but they both are really awesome.” 

Getting the hint, the two boys walked further into the room whispering to each other until they were more or less behind Noctis. Cor took this opportunity to get out of Prompto’s grip while he was distracted and walk towards the two older boys while Noctis kept Prompto distracted by babbling about his retainers. 

“Gladio....Ignis..a nurse should be arriving with in a half hour with Prompto’s lunch. I took the liberty of having the kitchen to whip something up for you guys as well.” Cor paused. “Just a reminder that as of right now he still completely mute. He does good with yes or no questions, but if he wants something try to encourage him to either draw the item or write it down. If for whatever reason you need to contact me just send a text message.”

“Yes sir.”Gladio replied as he gave a mock salute to the Marshal. 

“He’ll be in good hands.” Ignis added in. 

“Good.” Cor replied. He made his way towards the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can be, Prompto. I promise.” The Marshal gave one last glance towards Prompto and Noctis. The blonde was giving a devastatingly cute puppy eyes in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Cor from leaving while the Prince simply waived good bye. Steeling himself he made his way out the door. Prompto was in their hands for now.

Taking the initiative Ignis decided to introduce himself as he walked towards the bed. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Prompto. My name is Ignis Stupeo Scientia. Over there is Gladiolus Amicitia- “

“Just Gladio.” Gladio interrupted as he made his way next to Noctis. “Nice to meet ya, blondie.”

Prompto had a bewildered look on his face as he looked at the two older boys. He wasn’t sure how to respond. Part of him wanted to panic but looked towards Noctis for what to do. The Prince’s grin grew bigger by the second.

“These are the guys I was just telling you about!” Noctis declared. “Iggy is really really smart and great at cooking. I don’t think there is anything that he can’t answer. I think he might even be smarter than my dad.” Then Noctis whispered out a warning of the greatest importance. “Just watch out. Iggy really likes yucky evil vegetables. He tries to hide them in my food, but I’m on to him. When I am bigger and stronger, I’m going to free him from the spell the evil veggie king put on him and bring him to righteous side of candy and meat.” 

Ignis brought a hand to his mouth to cover up a small chuckle. This must be one of the most ridiculous introductions in the history of the world. Between the adorably puzzled look on Prompto’s face and the not very soft whispered warning Ignis found it somewhat endearing. 

 “Gladdy looks like he should be a big meanie poo brain, but he’s actually more like a teddy bear. His dad and my dad are always together. Glads is going to be like that when I’m all grown up as well, because he is going to be my shield!  Whenever I get into trouble, Gladio is usually the first person to run and help me. He just became a big brother so he’s really good at making ouchies feel better.”

Gladio facepalmed. He wasn’t sure if he should feel insulted with the ‘clever’ description the prince had come up for him. As soon as Noctis was back in his room for the night, Gladio made a mental note, to give him the biggest pillow fight of his life.

The one good thing that came from the introductions was the small smile that began to grow on Prompto’s face. All it took such an over the top description by Noctis to do so. He finally seemed to be relaxing a bit for the first time since they entered the room. Hopefully all the tears were done for now, and the boys could have fun until Cor returned. 

They boys spent time talking and getting a feeling for each other for the next ten minutes. They talked about everything they could think of.  Hobbies, likes, dislikes. Normal conversation things. Noctis explained how he loved fishing and spending time with animals. Gladio talked about his love of the outdoors and what it was like to become a big brother. He really dislikes the smell of his sister’s dirty diapers and how lucky he felt that he was not responsible for not having to change them. Ignis mostly stuck to trying to learn more about Prompto.  Simple things like if he was starting to feel better. Or if he had a favorite out of the stuffed animals surrounding him. Then Ignis focused on complementing the pictures Prompto had drawn earlier that day, and talking about how happy Noctis has been since he met the blonde. 

The more time they children spent together the more Prompto seemed to relax. Eventually he seemed comfortable enough that Noctis and Gladio sat on the end of the bed while Ignis sat down besides Prompto. The blonde was becoming less reserved and more expressive by the second. 

 Once their conversation died down, Prince Noctis decided that they should watch some television until their lunch came. With the click of the remote part of the wall facing the bed opened up to reveal a giant tv screen. Prompto had never seen anything like this before and grabbed onto Ignis’ arm trying to hide behind him. Once the television turned on and the magical moving pictures began to play the young child was mesmerized. He then started pulling on Ignis’ shirt and pointed at the screen with a huge smile on his face.

“You like that, Prompto?  Then you’re going to love this!” Noctis giggled as he began changing the channels to the cartoons. The prince stopped when he came across his current favorite show, “Mighty Moogle Squad! Defenders of the Crystal!” The show was one of the ones that basically was a monster of the week deal. The 6 Moogle Warriors defended the city of Zanarkand from the evil and their arch rivals ‘Tonberries of Doom!’.  It was the one show that Gladio and Ignis would watch with the Prince. 

“The yellow moogle is my favorite!” Noctis explained to Prompto. “He’s the leader of their group and has the coolest moves! Under his watch Zanarkand is safe from alllllll the villains. As long as he is there the Tonberries of Doom don’t stand a chance.”

“Excuse you, but I’m pretty sure the Red Moogle is the one with the coolest movies, Princess.” Gladio teased. “Red stopped a Bandersnatch with one punch when it rampaged around the Water Dome! He even said that awesome one liner! “Here comes judgment!” “ Gladio replied as he struck ‘Red’s’ pose. “No one can beat the Red Moogle!” 

“I think you’re forgetting that the Blue Moogle is the brains of the operation.” Ignis interjected. “Yellow and Red tend to run into a situation before thinking.  Last week's episode they were only able to win because Blue figured out the monster’s weakness and where the weak point was. Without Blue’s help those two would have become monster chow by now.”

“Whatever!” Noctis pouted. “I say we let Prompto decide which one is the coolest!”

Half-heartedly the freckled boy nodded. Prompto had tried his best to listen to the conversation the other boys were having, but he couldn’t quite follow it. He had never watched anything like this before, and had no context yet for the characters his friends were talking about. Instead he focused on the tv screen which was still playing the theme song for the tv show. 

Not long after all of the children were absorbed in watching the show. Noctis occasionally explain to Prompto what was going on in the show that referenced previous episodes. Gladio was the loud mouth of the group when it came to the action scenes. He tended to yell at the villains when they were sneaking up upon one of the Moogle Rangers, and cheering when the Moogle Squad take down the big baddie. Ignis was the only one who’s attention turned from the screen to the door when Nurse Delilah knocked on their door to deliver their lunch on a small cart and left.  It took a minute or two but eventually a commercial break broke the trance the children were in and they could focus on getting their lunch. 

Each of the boys had their very own bowl of a meaty Minestrone Soup with a side of grilled cheese, and a tiny jello cup.  The only real difference between their meals was that the bowl meant for Prompto was more broth than the others.  Once their meal trays had been given out the kids returned all of their focus on the tv. 

One episode turned into two, and then into three. By the beginning of the third episode the boys had finished eating and returned their plates to the cart.  Prompto began to yawn after feeling his belly was nice and full.  Noctis was the next one to let out an even bigger one. Slowly their eye lids began to grow heavy, but they still attempted to fight against the urge to sleep in order to finish the episode. 

Sometime before the fourth episode began the two younger boys had fallen asleep.  It wasn’t unusual for the prince to nap like this. He always had an easy time falling asleep regardless of the situation. Noctis used Gladio’s shoulder as a pillow and Prompto fell asleep propped up on his chocobo plush. Ignis almost didn’t notice that the blonde had feel asleep until he heard some soft snoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be focused more on the meeting the adults are having....and maybe what is going to happen to the clone from the previous chapter.


	6. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there is no Chocobros in this one. As much as I would have liked to continue with the fluff it was time to start addressing the plot.

Cor quickly made his way down the hallway. He was eager to get this meeting over with in order to return to Prompto’s side.  He needed to go down a few floors in order to make it to the conference room that the meeting would take place in. Given the fact that the doctor wanted both Regis and Clarus presence in the meeting deepened the likelihood that they may have found something. Dr. Galuf also had permission to look over the files that came in with Prompto. It was possible that he might have an idea of what those damn monsters were using the child for. 

The elevator ride was quick. It only took a few moments for it to reach the first floor of the Medical Wing.  Armed guards lined the hallway that lead towards the conference room. Regis and Clarus must have already arrived. 

“Cor, Pleasure to see you.” Regis said as Cor walked into the room. “The doctor still hasn’t arrived yet, but I don’t imagine that we will have to wait long.”

“I already received a text from my son about how sad Prompto was when you had to go.” Clarus stated. “I see that you had your hands full until the boys took over for you.” A small smile formed on his face. Part of the Sheild wanted to chuckle at the thought of the ‘Immortal’ needing to be saved by a bunch of kids in order to stop a crying child. It certainly was a welcome change though in his opinion. The Marshal had been all about work, but now he found something that was even more precious. 

Cor shot Clarus a look before he took the seat on the opposite side of the table from Regis. “Prompto just was feeling insecure. A lot has changed for him in a short amount of time, so it wasn’t that surprising.” 

“Sure, but I never thought I would see the day that Cor the Immortal would become such a doting parent.” Clarus chuckled. It was short lived as Cor swiftly kicked him in the shin from under the table. 

Regis laughed. It looked like two of his oldest friends had not changed much over the years. It was rare for the King to be able to see either of the men outside of work mode. 

A knock on the door changed the entire atmosphere of the room almost instantly. The Doctor had just arrived. In his hands was a folder containing all the information he had on Prompto. The solemn look on the doctor’s face indicated that he was not happy with some of the conclusions he had come to. 

“Thank you all for coming.” Dr Galuf said as he sat down at the head of the table and placed down the folder. “I assume that you do not want to beat around the bush, so I’ll just get to the point. It is evident that Prompto has been suffering from severe abuse and neglect for years.”  

Dr. Galuf  pulled down a screen from behind him, and turned on a projector. On the screen was photos from the various x-rays that had been done on Prompto’s first night in Insomnia. On a quick glance there was nothing that obviously was wrong, but on further inspection the x-rays showed that the child had already suffered multiple fractures on his arms and legs. Most of the bone was already mostly healed, but it looked as though the administering of potions and elixirs had been solely used to do so. 

“With the use of healing items, it is hard to gauge how long ago some of these injuries were inflicted, but I can safely say that the one on his upper right arm was probably only made one to two months ago.” Dr. Galuf used a laser pointer to circle around the area of the breakage in the arm. “I won’t go into details on the fracture itself for long, but given the scars on the boy’s arm, it looks like this was a compound open fracture.” 

Cor did his best to smother a growl that was trying to slip out. Anyone with basic military medicine knowledge could tell that those types of injuries were very painful, and not something that you would ever expect to see on a child. Maybe a soldier who had been hit with shrapnel, or survived a vehicle accident, but he never expected something like this. 

*ahem* Dr. Galuf cleared his throat and brought Cor out of his thoughts. “Moving on.... There is also evidence of several surgeries being done on the child as well. His appendix has been completely removed and, at least by looking through some of the medical charts the Nifs kept on the him, multiple surgeries had taken place to collect tissue samples from various areas of the body. The last one they recorded taking was on the left leg. The gash was so deep that a regular potion didn’t cut it. This was the same leg that we had to administer stiches to on the day he came in as well. “

The air in the room was now feeling even more oppressive if it was possible. The King, The Sheild, and The Immortal were at a loss of words. The hellish conditions that Prompto was subjected to until Cor rescued him were even worse than they could have imagined. 

“The worst I am afraid to say was that in his blood tests we found trace amounts of miasma and the scourge. The same amount that are present in people who have healed by the scourge or born from someone who already has been infected. ” Dr. Galuf took a second to compose himself and clean off his glasses. “I would like to believe that he was born from someone with the scourge......It would be too cruel if someone so young survived the scourge only to be treated like a lab rat......”

“How horrible.” Regis sighed. “At least the child is safe from harm now.”

“If we ever are able to capture the ones responsible for this, I will make sure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!” Clarus roared. “Not only have they taken our citizens, invaded our land, but now they are experimenting on the innocent children of their own land. That is just sick.” 

Dr. Galuf sheepishly spoke up again. “I-If I may....” He paused for a second to make sure that the three other men had their attention once again focused on him. “I hope I saved the best news for last...I would say it is my medical opinion that young Prompto would be able to be discharged from the hospital with in a few weeks once he regains a bit more strength. We just want to monitor his healing just a little longer, and design a specialized meal plan for him. Of course, we would recommend that he regularly sees his therapist and the staff here for regular checkups.” 

At least there was some good news. Cor still was personally going to avenge Prompto for what those monsters had done to him, but at least now Prompto would be able to live a normal life from here on out. As long as Cor was around no one would be able to harm the child again. 

Just as the meeting was beginning to wrap up there was a loud knock on the door. 

“Your Highness! We have urgent news from the situation at the base on Ravatogh.” The guard outside yelled. “Please make your way to the telecom room as soon as possible. Monica is already on the line giving a status update!”

Just when Cor thought that things might possibly quiet down......things just went from out of the frying pan and into the fire. 

♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛

[The previous day- Ravatogh Base]

” I’m afraid you’re out of luck.” A voice rang out in the main control room of the base. “I tire of the incompetence in our ranks. I am afraid that the heard must be culled so to say.” 

“Now now...Besithia my old friend. I would be best to not rush these sort of things.... Where would the fun be in that? “The man beside Verstael hummed. “Poor Caligo here still has his uses.... What’s that old saying? Three strikes and you’re out?”

“Thank you, Sir Izunia!” Caligo groveled at Ardyn’s feet. “I swear that I will do anything I can to prove that your decision was not a mistake!”

“Chancellor! You are being too lackadaisical about the situation. Lucis has absconded with the boy and with one of our top-secret folders. Who knows how much they have already figured out about Project Quick Sliver. The consequences of this are tremendous. “ Besithia growled. 

“Do not worry. I already had plans laid in case of scenarios like this.” Ardyn replied as he placed his hat upon one of the nearby magitek soldier’s head. “A spider does not catch its prey with a single thread alone. Perhaps our web might catch more than we ever expected now...”

“Please explain yourself, Chancellor Izunia!” Versteal growled. He was not in the mood to play the guessing games at the moment. 

“I have eyes working for me all over Eos.” Ardyn smirked. “A little birdy informed me that Cor the Immortal returned to Insomnia with a child that perfectly fits the description of our missing boy. Rumor has it that they are keeping the boy in the same medical wing as the young Prince. With a bit of patience, we might be able to not only reclaim the boy, but also abscond with Prince Noctis as well.”

“You do realize that means that a diversion would be required in order to draw the Immortal away from Insomnia right?” Besithia  hissed. 

“And that is where our dear friend here comes in.” Ardyn’s head leaned towards where Caligo was still sitting. “We’ll have him start to mobilize our troops and launch small attacks on the nearby areas with his Armors. If we make it look like Lestallum is going to be our ultimate target then we should be able to draw their forces out.”

♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛

That evening Ardyn, Versteal, and the clone that was used as a decoy boarded an air ship returning to Gralea. Caglio had been given his orders and the base began actively showing signs of military movement.  The Lucian rats would be sure to notice. 

“I still don’t think understand why you wanted the clone to come back with us rather than returning it to the tank it came from.” Versteal stated. “What use would you have for that useless hunk of meat?”

“It never hurts to be too prepared. If need be it can always serve as a replacement for the boy once we reclaim him. If all goes well it will take them just as long to notice that this isn’t the boy they snatched from us.” Ardyn chuckled as he stroked the hair of the clone in his arms. “Besides the clone is already becoming more alert now. At this rate the poor creature would suffer from ego death rather than becoming a viable trooper.” 

“Hah. Like it would ever be capable of feeling.” Versteal laughed. “What are you going to do when it turns out to be as worthless as the rest?”

“Then I’ll simply let that young upstart mercenary, Aranea, deal with training him to be a regular solider.” Ardyn replied. “She seems good at disciplining children. That Tummelt boy has started becoming quite the fighter under her tutelage.” 

“Bah.” Besithia barked. “Just remember our deal. You can keep the original as long as you hold up your end of the bargain.”

“Worry not.” Ardyn smiled. “I’ll will make sure that you will have all the funding you need for your Immortalis project. All of the mythril on Eos will be at your disposal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like things are starting to pick up. I wonder how Regis, Clarus, and Cor handle the news from Monica......
> 
> Also expect to see more of Clone-kun in the future. He's going to become more important as this goes on. >:)


	7. What to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took so long to come out. Between the holidays and a death in my family I just didn't have as much time to write as much as I wanted to. In other news, Happy New Years! May the new year be even better than the last one! ˭̡̞(◞⁎˃ᆺ˂)◞*✰

Chaos descended upon the Citadel as the King, His Shield, and the Marshal made their way to the communication room. The sooner they get their the sooner they would be able to be briefed on the situation by Monica. The entire place was under alert, and soldiers were running to their posts. Something big must be going down at Ravatogh for the palace to go on the defensive.   
“Is the Marshal, and his majesty there yet?” Monica’s voice rang out over the speaker.   
“They are entering the room as we speak.” One of the glaives in the room responded before standing up and saluting his superiors.   
With a nod of acknowledgement from the Marshal the glaive returned to their post by the radio telecom system.   
“Your Majesty.” Monica saluted. “I am sorry for the sudden communication, but the situation at Ravatogh has taken a turn for the worst. I fear that we do not have much time before the enemy mobilizes their forces in the region. The entire country safety level is about to go from Orange to Red.”   
“Major Elshett, Please, do explain what is going on.” King Regis replied. “We are ready to receive your report and assessment on the situation.”   
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Monica took a deep breath. “The situation had been being maintained on the base until a few days ago. The Nif base had gone under a tight lockdown, and our officers were no longer able to infiltrate the base. All of our men are accounted for, but our contact with the civilians have now been officially cut off. Since then we have only been able to maintain a vigilant watch from a safe distance. Within hours of the lockdown all of the civilians on the base had been gathered in one of the buildings on the base being used to shelter them. Since then we have not been able to confirm their status as they have yet to be let back out into the work areas since then, but have no reason to believe that their lives are in danger as of yet. We had taken up a wait and see policy and focused our efforts into surveillance and intelligence gathering in order to determine the best course of action.”   
Clarus grumbled to himself. Things were getting more complicated by the second. Any move made by Insomnia would have to be delicately carried out if they were to launch a full-scale rescue operation. The fact that the base was so close to the active Volcano.   
Monica continued on with her report while Clarus stewed in his thoughts.   
“The situation changed yesterday when an Imperial Airship arrived. There was a panic among the Imperial troops right before they arrived. I assume it has to have been that our activity inside the base had been found out. We had not been able to identify who was on the ship until today. The passengers on the ship were none other than the Imperial Head Researcher and Chancellor Izunia. Now the base seems to be attempting to mobilize their magitek armors and soldiers. From the looks of it they are gearing up to unleash a full-frontal assault. I fear that Lestallum might be their intended target. With the fire power of their newest suits it would be considerably hard for even experienced Crownsguard members to take on. If they take over the city than it will deliver a huge blow to our forces!”   
“This is not good....” Cor sighed. “Monica what are the status of our troops in the area? Have you begun to pull back away from the base yet to get reinforcements?”   
“I’ve sent Dustin to Lestallum to warn local officials of the potential danger heading their way. I also gave him orders to reach out to the hunters in the area to help with evacuation should the Imperials attack the city.” Monica explained. “As for our forces in the immediate area we have already began to pull back. We are due to rendezvous with Nyx’s team at Malmalam Thicket. From there we plan to make a fort at the nearby haven. Our objective is to wait and observe the base from a safe distance in order to launch a rescue operation and free the captive citizens.”   
“Thank you for the detailed report. I am counting on you to keep up the good work.” Regis affirmed. “All members of our Kingsglaive and Crownsguard shall be updated on the situation and be on stand-by. I shall have several teams be sent to Lestallum to defend the city from this threat, and send some more reinforcements to your location.”   
The last thing on the screen was Monica saluting before the picture cut out. With that the video call ended. There was a lot to do now and not so much time to do it in......and one more important conversation to have before the end of the day.   
\---------Hours Later-----   
Cor, Clarus, and Regis found themselves back in the conference room. They had done as much as they could do to help Monica for now. Now it was time for an unpleasant conversation that Regis had hoped to not have yet.   
“I know what you’re going to say. “Cor stated. “That I should be prepared to head back on to the front lines immediately. There is no need to worry. I am prepared to defend the kingdom even if it costs me my life.”   
“You misunderstand us......No one was going to question your wish to protect our fair country.” Clarus replied. “It is just that there is the matter of young Prompto to consider. His situation is very...delicate....at the moment. If something happened to you on the field than there would be no one left to care for the boy. I would take him in myself, but with the Kingdom in danger my responsibilities to Lucis has to take priority.”   
“There is also the fact that the boy is so attached to you already. And....In the event, like the one Clarus mentioned were to happen, it would be important that he knows what plans are set up for his continued care as a citizen of Lucis....” The King chimed in. “Breaking the news that you have to return to active duty will have to be done delicately. The child will need all of the reassurances you can offer that even if you are not here that there are people here who care dearly for him. There is also the matter of his closeness with our children. Noctis seems to adore the boy. I am sure that he would wish to remain close to Prompto. ”   
Cor remained quiet for a moment to consider what his friends were saying. In all honesty he hadn’t given it much thought. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. They had brought up a good point. Cor needed someone he could trust to look after Prompto when he could not. All of the people he trusts would be out in the field like Monica, and the others like Cid would not be able to provide much protection from the Empire. There was no way that he would trust some random foster family to take care of his son either. Too many things could go wrong.   
“Then....Regis...Is it all right if I leave Prompto in your hands? Staying in the Citadel is probably the safest place from Prompto to remain, and one of the only places still safe from Imperial attack. Since he seems to have been a valuable test subject for their project ‘Quicksilver’ it is very likely that they will do whatever they can to take him back. …...Regis.... You’re the only one I can trust who knows his situation.” Cor finally replied.   
“Consider it done my old friend.” Regis agreed. “As of right now...Unless the situation changes.... the only thing I can do for you is to give you a max of three days before you must return to the front lines. I wish I could give you more time, but I fear that the situation is growing more unstable by the day. Once the enemy starts to make their move, I am afraid that will determine how long you have......Hopefully, that should give you enough time to prepare Prompto for it.”   
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
(Back with the Chocobros.)   
One by one the boys woke up from their impromptu nap session. It had been several hours since Cor had left. The first child to wake was Ignis, who was closely followed by Prompto and Gladio, and finally a sleepy prince.   
Upon waking up Prompto scribbled on his note pad. ‘Cor?’ When he was done writing he turned the pad around to show everyone. Noctis was still half asleep and couldn’t make out what Prompto wrote. Gladio shrugged and Ignis sighed.   
“Gladio....would you be able to check your phone? I find it a bit strange that your father or Cor have yet to return from their meeting yet.” Ignis suggested as he adjusted his glasses.   
“Sure....uh.... just give me a sec.” Gladio fumbled around in his pockets to attempt to retrieve his phone. It took a few seconds for him to get it. “Nope.....Nothing from pops or Cor..” Gladio said.   
“I’m sorry, Prompto..” Ignis sighed. “It looks like it still will be a while longer before Cor will be back.”   
“I guess he still must be busy.” Noctis yawned. “We should keep going with the Mighty Moogle Squad!” The Prince began leaning on Prompto to use him as a pillow.   
“No way.” Gladio stated. “I think we have watched that enough for today. How about we do something else? Like maybe arm wrestling?”   
“That might be a little too rough, Gladio.” Ignis replied. “Remember we are in a hospital room right now. The last thing I would want is for the nurses to come and scold us again because we were too rambunctious again.”   
While Ignis and Gladio were talking the tv that was still on suddenly beeped. All of the eyes in the room turned towards the source of the unexpected noise. A national alert message was currently playing.   
“This is the Insomnia alert system. The safety level has just been raised to code Red. All citizens are advised to use caution when traveling and if possible, to remain in place. In the event that the enemy is moving towards your current location please follow the commands of the local Crownsguard and Hunters to evacuate to safety. We will repeat – The safety level has just been raised to code Red. All citizens are advised to use caution when traveling and if possible, to remain in place. In the event that the enemy is moving towards your current location please follow the commands of the local Crownsguard and Hunters to evacuate to safety. 

\------To Be Continued-----------


	8. The Talk

Cor made his way towards Prompto’s room after his talk with Regis and Clarus. He had a lot on his mind. One of the toughest tasks he ever faced was ahead of him. Prompto was still in a very fragile mental state and recovering from the abuse that he had suffered from. How in the world was he going to be able to tell Prompto that he needed to get back out in the field without making it look like he abandoning him? It was going to crush the boy’s delicate heart. 

As he neared the room, he could the voices of Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis. He thanked the six that the boys where still there. Maybe if they were present for the conversation then it would go a bit easier. Now in front of the door Cor took in a deep breath before he knocked on the door and entered the room. 

As soon as he entered the room four very concerned faces turned towards him as the t.v repeated the Insomnia Security Alert.  On the screen it showed footage of MT troops loading onto air ships and taking off of the ground. Great the talk with Prompto was already going to be hard enough, but now he needed to explain the situation Insomnia/Lucis faced on top of it. Cor quietly cursed the astrals for this. 

“Cor! What’s going on? Is Insomnia being attacked right now? Is my dad okay?” Noctis asked full of concern.  He was hugging onto Prompto tightly who looked as though he was about to have a panic attack.  Gladio had a reassuring hand on Noctis’ back while Ignis who was sitting next to the boys on the bed glanced back and forth between Cor and the television. 

“Don’t worry your highness. Your father is alright.” Cor took in a deep breath. “I wish I could say that everything was going to be alright though, but I can’t....” He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “Noctis, remember how I told you that I saved Prompto on my most recent mission? Niflheim has slowly been invading Lucis for the past few years.  Every time they make a new base, I infiltrate it and gather intelligence. The past dozen or so I have been able to disarm before they have been completed, but one of them started operating in one of our blind spots. Hidden behind a volcano near the coast.  Prompto was being held captive at a Niflheim base that has been abducting innocent civilians near Ravatogh. Well that base is now mobilizing and sending their troops across the main land.”

“So, the baddies that hurt Prompto are still trying to be big meanies and hurt people?” Noctis responded.

“I don’t think that’s quite right. Close but not the full picture of what’s going on.” Ignis cut in. “I think what the Marshal is trying to say is that Niflheim’s actions amount to them openly declaring war in our country.”

“Great.” Gladio sighed. “So, they are starting to invade the main land which means that the war which had basically been at a stale mate since Noctis was born is over now.”

“Yes, that is correct.” Cor nodded. “Soon I will have to go back to the front lines.” He noticed the heart broken expression fall on Prompto’s face. He knew that this was going to be tough conversation for him.

“That’s not fair!!” Noctis yelled as he started to cry while tightening his grip on Prompto. Cor and Prompto had just gotten to the Citadel, and now this happened! As soon as the Prince’s tears started to fall it was soon apparent that Prompto was about to start crying again as well. 

“Noctis!” Ignis was quick to try and calm the Prince down, but it was too late for that now. For now he would just have to try to console the two smallest boys with a gentle back rub.

Gladio being the only one of the children who wasn’t in a panic returned his focus towards Cor. “If you are going to be gone for a while, what is going to happen to blondie now? I mean like it would be crazy to try and take him with you. Is one of the glaives going to look after him or something?”

Cor silently thanked the astrals that at least two of the children seemed to be retaining a level head. “I have made arrangements for Prompto to remain here, Gladio.” Cor replied. “King Regis has graciously offered to act as Prompto’s legal guardian while I am away, so he will be remaining here with you.” 

“So, does that mean I can spend more time with Prompto?” The sniffling tiny prince asked. 

“You bet kiddo.” Cor responded be for ruffling the Noctis’ hair before returning his attention to Prompto. “I know that this is a lot to take in at once buddy, but I assure you that King Regis is a very nice man. He is one of the people I trust, so you don’t need to worry. The King will be stopping by later on this evening to get to know you better. “

There was still a frown on Prompto’s face, but it was still better than the tears Cor was expecting. He was asking for a lot from the small child after all. Prompto was found in a hell hole, and was only just now starting to adjust to his new freedom. To have the sense of stability that Cor provided taken away so soon was going to be a tough blow. 

Cor was brought out of his thoughts the second Prompto tugged on his shirt. When he looked down, he was surprised that not only had he gotten out of Noctis’ grip, but his arms were out stretched as if he was trying to say ‘pick me up’. Not being able to say no to Prompto he quickly scooped up the boy and cradled him gently in his arms. 

Sensing the need that Cor and Prompto needed some time alone Gladio and Ignis quickly ushered the Prince out of the room. As much as Noctis wished he could protest it he knew deep down that this was probably the best thing he could do for Prompto at that moment. Ignis made sure to close the door behind them as quietly as possible. 

\---------Later that evening---------

After their afternoon with Prompto was cut shorter than what the Prince had hoped for, it was decided that it was about time that he pay his father a visit. Gladio had to return home in order to look after his baby sister, but Ignis was still available to help. Afterall, if Regis was going to look after Prompto then he was going to need Noctis’ help! Noctis had quickly become friends with Prompto, so his father would want an insider’s help in order to make a good impression.  

“Daddy!” Noctis yelled as he saw his father enter the hallway. Without warning he started pushing his wheelchair to go faster towards his father. Luckily Ignis was still clsoe behind and was able to regain control of the chair before Noctis ran into the King.  The older boy quickly bowed a bit as the King walked closer to greet them.

King Regis couldn’t help but smile at how adorable his son looked. It had been so long since he had been able to see his son smile like this. This was probably the first time since the attack that Noctis had done so. 

“Noctis. Ignis. It is rare to see you this far from the medical wing.” The King said with a smile. “Is there anything that I can be of help with?”

“Daddy, is it true?” Noctis inquired. Noctis had a bad habit of tending to assume people automatically knew what he was talking about. It drove Ignis crazy to no end.

“He means about you taking care of Prompto while Cor is away, sire.” Ignis filled in. 

“So that’s what all the fuss is about.” Regis laughed. “It is true, my son. Prompto will be under my care while Cor resumes active duty.”

“Really? Does that mean I can play with Prompto whenever I want then?” The young Prince inquired. 

“That would be up to Prompto, son.” Regis smiled. “Just like you he is still in recovery. There may be days when he would prefer to have some alone time. ”

Noctis pouted a bit at that, but he could understand where his father was coming from. 

“If- If I may..” Ignis politely entered the conversation. “We had heard from Cor that you wish to spend some time with Prompto later on this evening to try and get to know him a bit better. Noctis and I were wondering if you would be interested in hearing about the activities that Prompto seems to have enjoyed so far.”

“Yep! Prompto is already our friend, so if there is anything you want to know about him, we can help!” The Prince grinned. 

“What a kind offer.” The King replied. “Prompto is truly lucky to have such kind and caring friends as you are. It fills my heart with pride to see how accepting you have been to him. I would be delighted to hear what you have to say on the matter.”

Noctis giggled. “Daddy!”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Ignis replied. 

It didn’t take long before Noctis began telling his father all of the wonderful things that he had learned about Prompto. He explained how Prompto was awesome at drawing, which one of the moogle squad Prompto seemed to enjoy the most, how Prompto became his ally in the war on vegetables, and most importantly of all, how angelic Prompto seemed to be. Noctis also made it a point to say that he had taken it upon himself to protect Prompto from anyone who might try and hurt his new friend. 

Ignis also added just as much to the conversation to Regis’ surprise.  His message for the king was much clearer and more concise. Ignis addressed how smart and adaptable Prompto was, and how he easily contributed to their conversations despite being mute. He also made mention of his affinity towards a yellow chocobo plushie that was never far from the boy. The last thing that Ignis mentioned was about how impressed he was by the boy in question. 

Regis had heard that his son was quite taken with Prompto already, but now he got to see firsthand how much the boy had already filled his son’s lonely heart.  Even Ignis seemed to be coming down with the same case of puppy love! Regis couldn’t help but feel the warm fuzzy feeling starting to build up in his heart. Oh how he had missed seeing Noctis and Ignis being this happy. It was a good feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you again for reading. I'm so happy so many people are enjoying this story so far!  
> I have two things I wanted to ask you the fans of this story about before I forget. 
> 
> 1\. I want your input on a name for Clone-kun. I feel bad that he hasn't gotten a name yet. I've come up with a few ideas of my own, but I wanted to see which name you like best since I can't decide. Please vote for whichever one you like best! ✩°｡⋆⸜(ू｡•ω•｡)  
> Mercurius  
> Promo  
> Argyros  
> Argyrus  
> Connatus
> 
> The second thing that I wanted to ask was if anyone would be interested in joining a discord server dedicated to this story?
> 
> Anyways please feel free to talk to me either on my tumblr www.graychocobo.tumblr.com/ or on my twitter account Graychocobo


	9. Upsetting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I had a bad case of writers block, and been preparing for convention season. Sorry for the wait. I'll try to update more regularly from now on.

By the time the King was making his way to visit Prompto and Cor it was already early evening. Regis had spent a few hours with his son and Ignis learning more about Prompto. His son proclaimed himself as the Prompto expert and did most of the talking. It warmed the king’s heart to see how animated Noctis became while he talked about his newly found friend. Noctis had been withdrawn and quiet since the demon attack, and even Ignis & Gladio even had trouble cheering him up. His son was finally acting like his old self again and all it took was his new friend. Despite Noctis and Ignis offering to tag along, this was something that he had to do alone. After all, Prompto was about to become one of his responsibilities soon.

Once he reached the door he knocked gently. “Is now a good time?” Regis asked. Inside the room he could hear footsteps walking closer to the door. 

Cor opened the door, and a tiny tuff of blonde hair was visible from behind his leg.  It was a relief that the small child didn’t seem to be crying anymore. Ignis and Noctis had filled him in on how upset  Prompto was over the news that Cor needed to return to work.   “Your Majesty. Please come  in .” 

“Thank you.” Regis replied as he limped his way inside of the room. He chose to sit down on one of the chairs  nearby . He wasn’t as young and spry as he used to be, and the burden of keeping the wall up was starting to catch up with him. 

Cor lifted  Prompto into his arms and made his way to the bed to sit down as well.  Prompto hid his face in Cor’s shoulder and gripped onto his arm. It was obvious that the child was still upset about the situation, but it was to be expected after all. Cor had made a deep impact on the child, and probably was the first person in a long time to show him any compassion or kindness. 

“Sorry.” Cor mumbled. “I know that you are here to spend some time with  Prompto , but as you can  see, he hasn’t taken the news of my departure all that well.”

“Don’t worry.” Regis replied. “It is unfair of us adults to wish for him to bear this so soon after everything  Prompto has already been through. As a father myself I wouldn’t wish this sort of situation on any child, but as a King I have no choice but to protect my country no matter what the cost. One day I hope he will be able to understand why things have to be this way.” 

Cor remained silent. As a solider he had dedicated his life for serving his country, but now that he had   Prompto he was finally starting to find something else to be just as important. Now he not only wanted to protect and serve his country out of love for his country, but now he also wanted to keep his country safe for  Prompto now as well. How the child had already became so ingrained in his heart he would never know, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

A heavy atmosphere was growing in the room, but Regis was determined to change it. Changing the subject Regis turned his attention towards  Prompto . “Now, Prompto, I am delighted to hear that you have become friends with my son, Noctis.”

Tiny ears twitched at the mention of Noctis.  Prompto peeked over at Regis while he  addressed him. He moved just enough that the king was able to make out his confused expression. He still didn’t seem to trust Regis at all, but at least  Prompto seemed to be interested in what he had to say. 

Cor was the next person to speak up. “Do you remember him, Prompto? You already have met him before, and he’s the one I was telling you about earlier. Regis here is an old friend of mine, and just so happens to be Noctis’ dad.”

Prompto cocked his head to the side  in confusion as he looked at Regis and then back at Cor. Apparently it was hard for  Prompto to see the family resemblance as he did not look convinced that it was possible. In Cor’s mind at least it reminded him of a baby  chocobo chick. 

Regis laughed a little. Such an innocent reaction was adorable. It was so amusing to watch the child’s facial expression change so rapidly. Such a shame that he couldn’t talk yet. Prompto, was truly someone who wore his heart on his sleeve for all  to see. 

“Noctis has gown quite frond of you,  Prompto . In fact, Ignis and Gladiolus have taken a shine to you as well. I don’t think I can remember a time when all three of them have been this happy.” Regis continued.  “ So, I must thank you for the positivity you have brought them.”

Prompto still didn’t look like he was following, but to Regis and Cor’s surprise the next thing the child did was to climb off of Cor’s lap and crawl over to the table next to the bed. There the child dug through the pictures he had made earlier in the day. Finally, he reached the particular page he was looking for. It was small and on the corner of the same page he had doodled a picture of Cor on. There was a drawing showing Noctis, Ignis,  Gladio , and himself with a  chocobo and  moogle . With pride on his face he held the picture up so the king could see. 

“You drew this yourself? My, I see you really are talented!” Regis exclaimed as he examined his drawings. 

For the next couple of minutes, the adults were treated to looking at all of the pictures that  Prompto had drawn so far. He had drawn a bit earlier in the afternoon, so even Cor did not know what all of the pictures were. Then they saw something unusual. The image was almost covered by  Prompto’s hand, but given how small he was there was still some that was visible.  Hidden in the bottom corner within one of the drawings however was a sketch of a red-haired man with a hat & scarf that was scribbled all over, as if he had tried to erase it from the page. 

Unknown to Prompto the image set off alarms between the two adults in the room. Although it was only a child’s drawing the adults were able to come up with a possible identity of who the man was. Ardyn Izunia. If he was somehow involved with whatever the Nifs were doing to Prompto then it certainly isn’t anything good. 

There was an unspoken agreement between the men that they would have to address this subject at a later time.  Prompto was finally starting to perk up and the last thing that either of them wanted to do was to upset him further. For  Prompto’s sake they would set this aside for now, but the seriousness of the situation just got doubled.  For a while longer they praised all of  Prompto’s work. They wanted to make sure that they hadn’t given away the new tension that Regis and Cor were now feeling. 

“Now  Prompto .....I heard that you will be released from the medical wing soon. I was wondering if you would mind having a room next to Noctis? Would you like that?” Regis asked. In reality the room in question used to be the royal nursery, but a door in the room connected to Noctis’ current room. It would be simple enough to redecorate the room for,  Prompto .

Prompto looked to Cor as if the question was directed at him. It was like a puppy looking at his owner to see if he was allowed to go outside. With a bit of prompting on Cor’s part, but eventually Prompto shook his head. ‘Yes’ was his answer. 

“I’m sure Noctis will be happy to hear this!” Regis exclaimed. He was about to inquire more information as to how  Prompto would want the room decorated, but he was  interrupted . 

Their talk was disrupted when General  Darutos knocked on the door. “Your Majesty. Sorry for the intrusion. The council are requesting your presence for an emergency meeting regarding the state of emergency. Please allow me to escort you to the throne room.” 

“Please excuse me.” Regis replied. Cor could have sworn that he  heard  the King ‘tsk’ under his breath. “Prompto I am happy that we have gotten some time to chat. I look forward to our next meeting. I wish both you and Cor a good night.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days past by super quick.  Prompto spent most of his time glued to Cor’s side, but he seemed to at least be opening up slightly to Regis. Noctis and the boys also served as a great distraction for  Prompto , and frequently visited him. Every time Cor needed to talk wi th various officials for mission briefings the boys would be with  Prompto . 

Unbeknownst to the Children there was someone who was  observing them from the shadow. The figure slowly pulled out a silver cell phone and dialed a number. 

“I have an update. The immortal has left the nest.” The man said into the phone. “I await your signal to move to the next phase of the plan.”


	10. Plotting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get a peak on what the empire is planning and what has happened to clone-kun since Ardyn picked him up.

Iedolas sat on his throne. Two figured bowed before him. They had just arrived from Lucis.Before him was none other than Ardyn Izunia and Verstael Besithia. Around the room were megitek soldiers protecting the perimeter. Their meeting was just beginning. 

“Your Ma je sty. A pleasure to see you again . It has been far too long since we have gathered together like this. ”  Ardyn smirked as he rose from his bow. “ You look rather pale though.  The cold starting to get to you perhaps?  I do hope you have been well.” 

Verstael remained silent, but glared at his companion. Verstael remain in the bow as they have not been given permission to rise yet. He was not a fan of Ardyn’s theatrics at the best of times, but somehow his distain only grew when it was in front of their emperor. He found that Ardyn was far too forward at times like these. 

“At ease,  Besithia .”  Iedolas said as he noticed the man’s focus on Ardyn. “Now....I would like to hear a progress report on the current situation with Lucis.” 

Verstael was the first to speak up. “Our invasion of Lucis has been proceeding as planned. Currently we have a  megitek lab up and running on the main land. We have also captured several strategic points as our forces make their way to  Lestallum . Lucis’ rats have been sneaking around, but so far they have found out nothing of importance. They still are unaware that our ultimate goal is to abscond with the crystal of Lucis.”

“I see.”  Iedolas said as he stroked his chin. “We will have to tread carefully from here on out. The dogs of Lucis will be problematic if we don’t invest on keeping their interest occupied elsewhere as we near the Insomnia.”

“About that!”  Ardyn interrupted. “Woefully I have to report that Lucis has already started to suspect our cloning research. One of the Lucis rats has stolen test subject 05953234, one of the corner stones of the Project. We need not worry though, as I have already devised several plans. This might actually work in our favor. Little  Besithia has been brought to the Citadel according to one of my informants. We can collect our beloved test subject and the crystal at the same time. If we play our cards right, we might be able to also capture the Prince of Lucis while we’re at it. With the Crystal and the Prince in our hands we can force Lucis to surrender.”

“It is unfortunate to hear about the test subject, but he will be reclaimed soon enough. Have your informant keep a close eye on him. Found out everything you can. We will wait for an opportune time to carry out the operation. In the mean time we will devise a distraction in order to carry out our mission. “  Iedolas replied. “Once the boy Is reclaimed, we must hurry and proceed with the next phase of the  experiment .”

“As you wish.”  Ardyn replied. “ Verstael and I shall get right on it. Now if you’ll excuse us.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Waiting in one of the labs was the clone that  Ardyn had taken. He was more alert now, and began to resemble a child more now. He could walk, he could talk, and he could think on his own. The main difference between him and subject 05953234 was the small red ring in his eyes , and a bar code with a different numerical pattern .  His id number read 059683201.

The clone sat in a chair hugging his knees to his chest. He looked around the room, but there was nothing interesting to look at.  He sighed and continued to watch the wall. After a while he heard footsteps walking down the hallway near the door. 

It wasn’t long before  Ardyn and  Verstael entered the room. There were no words between the two of them. Ardyn walked over to the clone while Verstael made his way to his computer. 

“Look at you. Waiting here so patiently.”  Ardyn said as he  ruffled

The clone looked up at  Ardyn and nodded. 

“I think  its time for a small reward. Would you like that?”  Ardyn asked. 

“Yes. Master  Ardyn .” The clone replied. 

“ 059683201 is such a mouthful to call you. How about I give you a name?”  Ardyn asked. “ Mercurius has a nice ring to it, does it not? I think that Mercurius will be what I call you from now on.”

“Yes.” ‘Mercurius’ responded.

“Stop fooling around,  Ardyn .”  Verstael snapped. “We have  important work to do.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day finally came. Cor was heading out to the front lines.  None of the children were looking forward to this, but it had to be done. With Lucis under attack they needed the Marshal out there in order to keep the people safe. 

It was early in the morning as Cor made his good byes. Lots of people greeted him at the front steps of the citadel. He started with the doctors and nurses who had been taking care of  Prompto . Regis and Clarus were next, as they stood next to their children. But by far the hardest one to say goodbye to was  Prompto . 

“ Prompto . Listen to me...I’m not sure when I will be able to return, but I promise you that I will come back as soon as I can.” Cor said as he hugged the small boy. “I know  its not fair to ask this of you, but I’m going to need you to be patient. Regis will be taking care of you in my place. Please be a good boy for him alright?”

Prompto sobbed as he clung to Cor. He didn’t want Cor to go. He wanted Cor to stay, but he knew why he had to leave. It didn’t make it any easier. 

Cor lifted Prompto up and handed him to Regis who readily accepted him. Prompto held on for as long as he could, but Cor eventually slipped out of his grip. It was a heart-breaking scene, but Cor couldn’t let his emotions take over, 

“Regis....I trust you will protect him.” Cor said before he turned to leave. It wasn’t long before Cor entered the waiting car. Soon the car drove down the road and out of sight. The only thing that could be heard were the sobs of  Prompto as he watched Cor vanish down the road. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this chapter please feel free to comment or leave Kudos. <3  
> You can also find me on my Tumblr @ www.Graychocobo.tumblr.com where I post art.


End file.
